2010 Acura TL engine

Bef ore you begin driving your
vehicle, you should know what
gasoline to use and how to check the
levels of important f luids. You also
need to know how to properly store
luggage or packages. The
inf ormation in this section will help
you. If you plan to add any
accessories to your vehicle, please
read the information in this section
first..............................
Break-in Period .444
.................
Fuel Recommendation . 444
.........
Service Station Procedures . 445
....................................
Ref ueling .445
.....
Tighten Fuel Cap Message . 446
Opening and Closing the .......................................
Hood .447
...................................
Oil Check .448
.............
Engine Coolant Check . 449
...............................
Fuel Economy .450
...
Accessories and Modif ications . 453
.............................
Carrying Cargo .455
Bef ore Driving
Bef ore Driving
443
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2010 TL

Help assure your vehicle’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period:
You should also f ollow these
recommendations with an
overhauled or exchanged engine, or
when the brakes are replaced.Do not change the oil until the
multi-inf ormation display indicates
it is needed. Avoidhardbrakingforthefirst
200 miles (300 km). Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration. Your vehicle is designed to operate
on premium unleaded gasoline with a
pump octane of 91 or higher. If this
octane grade is unavailable, regular
unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane of 87 or higher may be used
temporarily. The use of regular
unleaded gasoline can cause metallic
knocking noises in the engine and
will result in decreased engine
perf ormance. The long-term use of
regular-grade gasoline can lead to
engine damage. In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend, in areas where it is
available, the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain manganese-based
f uel additives such as MMT.
Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely af f ect perf ormance,
and cause the malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, contact
your dealer f or service. We recommend using quality
gasolines containing detergent
additives that help prevent fuel
system and engine deposits.
You may hear a knocking noise from
the engine if you drive the vehicle at
low engine speed (below about 1,000
rpm) in a higher gear. To stop this,
raise the engine speed by shif ting to
a lower gear.
On vehicles with manual transmission
Break-in Period Fuel Recommendation
Break-in Period, Fuel Recommendation
444
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2010 TL

CONT INUED
If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station, or switch to another
brand of gasoline. Some gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol or
MTBE. Your vehicle is designed to
operate on oxygenated gasoline
containing up to 10% ethanol by
volume and up to 15% MTBE by
volume. Do not use gasoline
containing methanol.Park with the driver’s side closest
to the service station pump.
Open the f uel f ill door by pressing
the button in the driver’s door (to
open the f uel f ill door manually,
see page ).
For f urther important f uel-related
inf ormation f or your vehicle, or
inf ormation on gasoline that does not
contain MMT, visit My Acura at
. In Canada, visit
f or additional
inf ormation on gasoline. 1.
2.
562
owners.acura.comwww.acura.ca
Service Station Procedures
Ref ueling
Bef ore Driving
445
PushGasoline is highly flammable
and explosive. You can be
burned or seriously injured
when handling fuel.
Stop the engine, and keep
heat, sparks, and flame away.
Handle fuel only outdoors.
Wipe up spills immediately.
09/07/29 18:12:39 31TK4610_450
2010 TL

Turn the engine of f , and conf irm the
f uel f ill cap is installed. If it is, loosen
it, then retighten it until it clicks at
least once. The message should go
off after several days of normal
driving once you tighten or replace
the f uel f ill cap. To scroll to another
message, press the INFO button.If the system still detects a leak in
your vehicle’s evaporative emissions
system, the malf unction indicator
lamp (MIL) comes on. If the f uel f ill
cap was not already tightened, turn
the engine of f , and check or
retighten the f uel f ill cap until it
clicks at least once. The MIL should
go off after several days of normal
driving once the cap is tightened or
replaced. If the MIL does not go of f ,
have your vehicle inspected by a
dealer. For more inf ormation, see
page .
Park the vehicle, and set the
parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower lef t corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly.
The ‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL CAP’’
message will appear each time you
restart the engine until the system
turns the message of f .
1.
560
CONT INUED
Service Station Procedure
Opening and Closing the Hood
Bef ore Driving
447
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
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2010 TL

Park the vehicle on a level surf ace.Insert the dipstick all the way back
into its hole. Wipe of f the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel. Remove the dipstick (orange loop).
Wait a f ew minutes af ter turning the
engine of f bef ore you check the oil.
To close the hood, lower it to about a
f oot (30 cm) above the f ender, then
press down f irmly with your hands.
Make sure the hood is securely
latched. Lif t the hood up most of the way.
The hydraulic supports will lif t it
uptherestof thewayandholdit
up.
If the hood latch handle moves
stif f ly, or if you can open the hood
without lifting the handle, the
mechanism should be cleaned and
lubricated. Put your f ingers between the f ront
edge of the hood and the f ront
grille to locate the hood latch
handle. Push this handle up until it
releases the hood. Lif t the hood. 3.
1.
3. 2.
2.
Service Station Procedures
Oil Check
448
LATCH
DIPSTICK
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2010 TL

Remove the dipstick again, and
check the level. It should be
between the upper and lower
marks.
If it is near or below the lower mark,
see on page . To access the radiator reserve tank,
remove the right-side engine
compartment cover (see page ).
See page f or the engine coolant
location.
Refer to
on page f or inf ormation
about checking other items on your
vehicle.
Look at the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. Make sure it is
between the MAX and MIN lines. If
it is below the MIN line, see on page f or
inf ormation on adding the proper
coolant.
4.
509 512507
505 508
Service Station Procedures
A dding Engine Oil Engine Coolant Check
Owner’s Maintenance
Checks
A dding
Engine Coolant
Bef ore Driving
449
RESERVE TANK
MAX
MIN
UPPER MARK
LOWER MARK
09/07/29 18:14:08 31TK4610_454
2010 TL

µµ
µ µ
µ
µ
µ
Aggressive driving (hard
acceleration and braking)
Excessive idling, accelerating and
braking in stop-and-go traf f ic
Cold engine operation (engines
aremoreefficientwhenwarmed
up)
Driving with a heavy load or the
air conditioner running
Improperly inf lated tires
The f ollowing f actors can lower your
vehicle’s f uel economy:
A properly maintained vehicle
maximizes f uel economy. Poor
maintenance can signif icantly reduce
f uel economy. Always maintain your
vehicle according to the maintenance
messages displayed on the
inf ormation display (see
on page ).
For example: Rapid
acceleration, abrupt cornering,
and hard braking increase fuel
consumption.
Aerodynamic drag has a big ef f ect
on f uel economy at speeds above
45 mph (75 km/h). Reduce your
speed and you reduce the drag.
Trailers, car top carriers, roof
racks and bike racks are also big
contributors to increased drag.
If your vehicle has a
manual transmission, you can
boost your f uel economy by up
shif ting as early as possible.
Idling
results in 0 miles per gallon (0 kms
per liter).
It puts a heavier
load on the engine, increasing f uel
consumption.
In
particular, a build-up of snow or
mud on your vehicle’s underside
adds weight and rolling resistance.
Frequent cleaning helps your f uel
economy. An underinf lated tire increases
‘‘rolling resistance,’’ which reduces
f uel economy.
505
CONT INUED
Fuel Economy Factors Use the recommended viscosity
motor oil, displaying the A PI
Certif ication Seal (see page ).
Improving Fuel Economy Owner’s
Maintenance Checks Drive moderately
Observe the speed limit
Always drive in the highest gear
possible
Avoid excessive idling
A void carrying excess weight in
your vehicle
K eep your vehicle clean Maintain proper tire inf lation
509
Vehicle Maint enance Drive Ef f icient ly
Fuel Economy
Bef ore Driving
451
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2010 TL

µµ
Fill the f uel tank until the nozzle automatically clicks of f .
Reset trip counter to zero.
Record the total gallons (liters) needed to ref ill.
Follow one of the simple calculations above.
The A/C
puts an extra load on the engine
which makes it use more f uel. Use
the f resh-air ventilation when
possible.
Combine several short trips into
one. A warmed-up engine is more
f uel ef f icient than a cold one.
Direct calculation is the
recommended source of inf ormation
about your actual f uel economy.
Using f requency of f ill-ups or taking
f uel gauge readings are NOT
accurate measures of f uel economy.
Fuel economy may improve over the
f irst several thousand miles
(kilometers). 1)
2)
3)
4)
Checking Your Fuel Economy
Measuring T echniquesMinimize the use of the air
conditioning system
Plan and combine trips
Calculating Fuel Economy
Fuel Economy
452
Miles per Gallon
100 Kilometers
Gallons
of fuel
Miles
driven
Liter Lper
100 km
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2010 TL